WHAT: Raymond Wood, an uninsured and unemployed 44-year-old Southern Nevada man who was once a Bobby Darin impersonator at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas and at The Flamingo in both Las Vegas and Laughlin, will receive a free medically necessary surgery from Helping Hands Surgical Care(HHSC), a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organizationfounded by Dr. Kevin Petersen. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Petersen at Medical District Surgery Center. Dr. Petersen is waiving his fee and HHSC will cover all other costs, including the medical facility fee. This is the 14th free surgery provided by HHSC since its inaugural Charity Surgery Day on November 10, 2011, when 10 medically necessary surgeries were provided at no cost to qualifying patients. HHSC currently has more than 125 applications from uninsured Nevadans who do not qualify for government assistance and do not have the means to pay for surgery. A medical advisory board screens the applications to select patients to receive no cost surgeries. HHSC’s mission is to fund and facilitate surgeries for uninsured and underinsured Nevadans to restore their health, help them return to work and regain hope. HHSC is providing surgeries as there are funds available to cover the costs of ancillary services, including anesthesiology, medicine, nurses and operating room staff, lab and diagnostic services.

ABOUT THE PATIENT: Raymond Wood, who has suffered from a painful double hernia condition for decades, has not been able to work because of pain since 2000. He performed as a teenager at the Imperial Palace “Legends in Concert” from 1983 to 1986, and at the Flamingo in both Laughlin and Las Vegas in “American Superstars” from 1991-1994. He remembers having to physically push in his hernia prior to going on stage to perform.

With no medical insurance and only a limited form of Medicaid which doesn’t cover non-life-threatening conditions, Wood has on several occasions tried to get work, but has not been able to keep steady employment because of his condition. Like many hernia patients, Wood has sought emergency treatment from local hospitals, but because his condition is not considered life threatening, he is only given pain pills. Wood ’s girlfriend found HHSC through recent news coverage of previous surgeries. For years, he has lived in despair and assumed his condition would never improve. He is looking forward to starting over his life. Upon initial examination of Wood, Dr. Petersen discovered Wood also had high blood pressure, so he has been treating him for this condition to prepare him for surgery. Wood is amazed at how much better he already feels and realizes how fortunate he is that his life has been saved not only by the hernia operation but, by treating his blood pressure.

About Helping Hands Surgical Care

Helping Hands Surgical Care is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization whose mission is to fund and facilitate surgeries for uninsured and underinsured individuals without the means to pay for medically necessary, quality of life surgeries. Founded by Dr. Kevin Petersen of Las Vegas, Nevada based No Insurance Surgery, Helping Hands Surgical Care values the health and well-being of each individual regardless of their ability to pay. The organization is guided by its focus on the physician-patient relationship and its dedication to transforming and improving the lives of those it serves. For more information, visit www.HelpingHandsSurgicalCare.comor call 702-242-5393.